Regarding the Pain of Others
by kadabra
Summary: Jo is running from her mistakes but she won't be able to hide forever. Especially when a fellow trainer, Jeff, is determined to learn about her wretched past. While traveling with Ash and Misty as well, secret loves and secret pains will surface.


"Padfoot, what is it?" I glanced in the direction of my Lucario's piercing stare, made wary by its slight growl and defensive stance. Then I heard their voices. I grabbed Lucario's massive paw and dragged him into some nearby bushes, ducking down as low as I could. Lucario's paws dug into the ground on either side of me, guarding me.

"Ash, are you sure it was a good idea to leave Brock back in Pewter?"

"Just chill out Misty, Brock said he wanted to meet up with some old friends and swap breeding tips with them, he won't be missing us. You could have stayed back in Pewter too, but I guess you were just dying for some alone time with me, huh?"

The orange-haired girl slapped the boy across the face. I could already tell that he was arrogant and extremely confident in his own abilities but he seemed bearable. The girl was obviously attracted to the boy but was desperately denying it, maybe she didn't even know it yet herself. I smirked at them. What children they were, though they appeared to be the same age as me, 16, they lacked all maturity. I couldn't believe that I had fled at the sight of them. Though there was nothing wrong with being overly cautious. Lucario read my aura easily and backed off, allowing me to stand. I approached them without hesitation and the black-haired boy immediately blocked my way to the girl, protecting her. I smiled again. Lucario growled and stood ominously at my side.

"Who are you?" He demanded of me, as if challenging me already.

"Just another trainer, not unlike yourself might I add." The calm tone in my voice soothed him partially, at least long enough for him to absorb my long legs and curvaceous body. My strawberry blond hair fell just below my shoulder blades, waving slightly at my shoulders and framing my face. The girl, Misty, glared at me as if I was Satan's mistress combined with her very worst nightmares. I allowed my light green eyes to stare back into hers, attempting to convey a message of friendship but she refused to accept. I took no pride in my looks, only in my beloved Pokemon, but having a disarming appearance can always come in handy.

I only noticed that the boy's hat was an official Pokemon League Expo hat when he turned it backwards on his head, almost out of habit, while his hands twitched toward his pocket where he obviously had a Pokeball waiting for him.

"My name is Jo, and this is my partner, Padfoot." The boy pulled out his Pokedex, allowing it to read Lucario. He bared his teeth at it but I placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"I'm Ash, and this is Misty. We were planning on camping in the Viridian Forest for a week or two so I could get in some extra training with my Pokemon." Only then did I notice a Pikachu nestled in his backpack. It stretched its arms and yawned contentedly, obviously awakened by the disturbance.

"I guess this means you would like to battle me."

"It depends on your rank." He said smugly.

Lucario growled again but I simply laughed out loud. Ash and Misty both looked offended but I just couldn't help it.

"I have already defeated the Elite Four in both the Sinnoh and Johto regions. I believe I am of satisfactory rank."

Ash looked even more pumped up now that he knew of my power. Most trainers would have backed down. I was intrigued.

"You can set the rules and have first move, of course." I offered.

"Fine," he stepped forward, "two Pokemon each." He was casually forcing me to reveal another member of my team.

I reached into my pocket, my fingers instantly knowing which Pokemon I was seeking.

"Go, Cai!" I tossed the Pokeball high into the air, allowing it to burst open only 10 feet above ours heads. From the blaze of light emerged my Garchomp, its razor sharp wings slicing the air as it dove towards us, landing firmly beside Lucario.

Ash began to sweat slightly. "Blastoise, I choose you!" The ground shook slightly at the heavy mass of Blastoise's immense frame.

As Cai passed me, I gave him a reassuring stroke. He seemed completely unafraid.

"Blastoise! Hydro Pump, now!" His Blastoise drew a great power from within itself before launching forth a massive cannon of water. I remained silent.

Ash stared at me like I was crazy, refusing to utter a single command despite a rather powerful oncoming attack. Cai remained frozen as well until the last second, of course, when his wings snapped forward in front of his body, protecting himself against the attack. He knew exactly what to do.

"Dragon Claw, now!" I yelled over the sound of raging water. Using his wings to repel the watery blast, Cai sliced through, straight to the center of Blastoise's shell, knocking him backwards. Blastoise shakily regained it's footing but not for long. Cai had already launched into his most powerful attack: Earthquake.

Padfoot quickly grabbed me around the waist and launched into the air, positioning himself on top of an outcropping stone ledge (we were in a shallow valley with trees and high stone walls on either side). I watched to make sure that Cai's Earthquake attack did not reach Ash or Misty, but of course it wouldn't, I had strictly trained all of my Pokemon to never physically threaten other Pokemon Trainers without my consent. Padfoot's actions were driven by extreme caution and natural protective instinct, as usual. I could feel his arms forming a protective cage around me. I scratched the soft furry spot beneath his chin while watching the carnage unfold. I felt almost like a sadist, watching poor Ash and Blastoise struggle to regain their battle strategy. Misty was practically fuming.

But then again I was winning, so I couldn't help but enjoy myself. Blastoise was being violently rocked by the attack while Cai remained firmly balanced on the ground, centering his weight.

"Slash attack, now, Cai!" I screamed to him.

"Blastoise, Withdraw, now!" Ash yelled to his Pokemon but Blastoise was too slow to react. Cai's hardened wing edge struck him with full force, delivering a devastating KO. Padfoot nimbly leapt back down, releasing me steadily on the ground.

"Would you like to continue to your second Pokemon?"

Ash resisted answering my question at first but, with his eyes still lingering on Blastoise's beaten shell, finally shook his head sullenly. He recalled his Pokemon before advancing towards me with his hand out which I accepted gratefully.

"Your Blastoise is very powerful but I would suggest working on powering up his Speed attacks, that is where your current weakness lies."

"Can I ask you a few questions about you and your Pokemon? I've never met a Trainer like you before." He explained as we began to walk down the trail together. I could hear Misty grumbling behind us, trudging along like a forgotten puppy.

I allowed Cai to stretch his wings and fly above us, surveying the surrounding forest area.

"So how long have you and Padfoot been together? Your bond is really strong." Ash smiled at Padfoot but he ignored it.

"He was my very first Pokemon. My dad was the manager at a Pokemon center near our house in Goldenrod City so he traded Pokemon a lot. He had traded a Lopunny for a Mystery Egg with some stranger from the Isshu region. Because I was still not of age yet, the task of caring for the egg fell to me. When it finally hatched, it was time for me to begin my journey as a Pokemon trainer. I was afraid that my father would force me to leave the newborn Riolu behind but from the second it could walk, it never left my side. So Padfoot and I have been partners ever since. After Johto, instead of going to Kanto like most trainers would have, I left for Sinnoh, seeking brand new Pokemon I had never even heard of before. Sinnoh was a great region, I got my next three Pokémon there." I gazed up at Cai's dark shadow outlined by the harsh sun.

"So you don't have any Pokemon from the Kanto region?"

"Not yet. I am hoping to complete my team with a new Pokemon originally from Kanto though."

"Really? That's great! Misty and I will help you find one!"

"What?" Misty yelled out from behind us. "No way! I am not trudging through the forest for weeks searching for a new Pokemon for Miss Perfect Pants over there. You take one more step in that direction Ash Ketchum and I am heading straight back to Pewter City without you!"

"Aw, come on, Misty! Jo has some really powerful Pokemon that I want to battle against and she could really help me improve my battle strategies. No one knows Kanto Pokemon better than we do. We could find her a new Pokémon in no time. See? It's simple, and stop pretending like you have somewhere else to go. Brock certainly isn't going to want to listen to you whining and moping around for hours when he could be swapping Pokemon food samples with his friends."

I watched Misty's face turn bright red. They quarreled like an old married couple, how sweet. I decided to play along.

"If you must return to Pewter, then don't let me get in the way. You know, your girlfriend should always take priority over Trainer battles, right Ash?"

This really sent Misty over the edge. I thought she was about to tear her hair out. Her and Ash were practically at each other's throats when a bright yellow light engulfed them both, singing their hair and silencing them both swiftly and efficiently. Padfoot had instantly stepped in front of me in reaction to the sudden ThunderShock but eased back when he realized it was only a Pikachu.

I began clapping ecstatically.

"Wow! What an amazing performance, little guy! It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Jo, and you must be Ash's partner."

While Ash and Misty lay on the ground in a heap, twitching and groaning in pain, from Ash's unzipped backpack sprang an adorable Pikachu, it's cheeks crackling with energy. I immediately began gushing.

"Oh, you are just too cute!" I fell to my knees instantly and held my hands out, allowing it to sniff my hands delicately before offering an enthusiastic "Pika pi!" Padfoot looked on jealously.

"Can I have a hug?" I offered gently. The Pikachu sprang into my arms; it's Static ability making my hair stand up.

"Yeah, Pikachu is real friendly." Ash said, dizzily standing up. Both Misty and Ash seemed to still be in the process of gaining control over their bodily functions. Pikachu bounded back over to Ash, standing obediently by his right foot.

"Where's Togepi?" Misty suddenly demanded, looking around frantically, her eyes wide with terror.

"How did you manage to get a Togepi? They're pretty rare."

"It's a long story," Ash replied, pawing through the bushes and calling out Togepi's name. Even Pikachu was scampering around, frantically looking for the lost Pokemon. I glanced at Padfoot and he immediately set off to help search too.

I signaled for Cai to land. He dove straight down before me, swiftly angling upward, causing a slight breeze to blow over me.

"We're looking for a lost Togepi. I'm assuming it was in her bag or walking beside her before wandering off during all the commotion. Can you help find it?" Cai flashed his sharp teeth, which to some may have been perceived as aggressive but I saw it as a smile. I smiled back before he took off again, flying slow, calculated circles above us.

I was climbing over a rock cluster, my eyes downcast in search of the Spike Ball Pokémon, when I heard a soft sound coming from a dark shadow under a low-lying rock ledge. I assumed it was Togepi and rushed over but was shocked to find a boy lying there with his arm in a makeshift sling and his eyes shut. He had bright orange hair and plenty of freckles. He was tall and lanky and looked like he could be Misty's older brother. He was incredibly handsome. I felt my cheeks flare up. I coughed lightly in an attempt to wake him nonchalantly and his ice-blue eyes flashed open instantly. He stood up as fast as he could, hitting his head hard against the stone. He grabbed his forehead, cursing softly to himself, before falling back down. I rushed over, sitting down beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He grumbled something under his breath that I couldn't quite catch.

"Hold on a second. I'll get you some ice for that bump on your head. Feraligatr, come on out." From my pocket I retrieved a Pokeball, rolling it gently onto the ground and allowing it to burst open. Feraligatr growled deeply, due to the fact that he had to crouch over so low in the confined space.

"Do you think you could form an ice block for, um, my friend?"

Feraligatr nodded and clasped its webbed hands together, allowing a small ball of water to swirl between them. A second later, its fingers flexed and shards of ice appeared in the water, instantly freezing it into a solid ice orb.

"Thanks pal." I whispered, returning him to his Pokeball.

The ice orb was starting to melt in my hand as I pressed it against the goose egg forming on the back of his head. He moaned slightly and I chose to ignore the way my heart quickened at the sound.

"What's your name?"

"Jeff."

"Is your arm okay?"

He didn't reply.

"Are you from Kanto?"

"No, Johto."

"Do you have any Pokemon?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't they help you?"

"They can't, they're all knocked out. I wasn't able to reach a Pokemon Center in time to have them healed. I passed out here from exhaustion."

"What happened to your Pokemon?" I was genuinely worried now.

"We got jumped by some gang members. They smashed my arm with a baseball bat. My Pokemon managed to scare them off but they got pretty badly beat up as well. I put my arm in this temporary sling to keep it in place and then ran like hell." He slumped forward, his head resting on my chest. My heart was pounding like a thundercloud by now and I prayed silently that he wouldn't notice. While one hand held the ice against his lump, my other hand was lightly caressing his neck. I whistled a long, low note and Padfoot was by my side instantly. He looked at the boy incredulously but I just shook my head.

"Padfoot, I need you to take Jeff to the Pokemon center in the middle of the forest. I'll come as soon as I can, alright?" Padfoot nodded solemnly, he hated to leave my side.

I helped Padfoot lift Jeff up off the ground and into his arms. As I was turning away, Jeff grabbed my arm.

"I forgot to ask what your name was." I was shocked by his question.

"Jo, my name is Jo."

"Jo, take care of my Pokemon. They're in my backpack, I dropped it in the bushes a couple meters away." I nodded before gently removed his grip on my arm.

Padfoot took off immediately, leaving hardly a trace of his wolf-like paw prints in the dirt. I headed back to the scraggly shrubs next to the rock ledge and removed Jeff's dark blue backpack from its thorny branches. I tried to remain calm but on the inside, I was screaming. I hardly even knew Jeff and already I was responsible for his broken arm. I had brought dangerous gang members into a calm and peaceful forest. I was such an idiot. I shouldn't even be near other people right now or even close to a hospitable civilization. Then I remembered Ash and Misty back on the main trail looking for Togepi. I couldn't allow them to get hurt as well; they were so innocent and unassuming. And now Padfoot was gone with Jeff and some small part of me (no matter how hard I tried to ignore it) was desperate to know whether or not Jeff would be all right. Plus, his defeated Pokemon were probably in some serious trouble, and all because of me. Ash and Misty would be wondering were I was by now; I had made a deal to travel with them after all. I shook my head in frustration. Why did this all have to happen to me?

"Hey, Ash. We need to get to the Viridian Forest Pokémon Center, like, now."

"Why? Whose backpack is that?"

"It's Jeff's, this guy who got his arm broken when some gang members attacked him. I found him over there," I pointed in the direction of the rock ledge, "with his arm in a sling and totally wiped out." No reason not to be entirely blunt with the situation.

"There's a gang hanging out in the forest?" Misty shrieked, clutching a wriggling Togepi.

"At least you managed to find Togepi." I glanced up at the sky and did the same low whistle, calling Cai to my side. I allowed him to re-enter his Pokeball, feeling completely naked without any Pokemon companion by my side.

"Let's hurry, his Pokemon are in this backpack and in need of some serious help." I took off running with Ash and Misty at my heels. They both looked totally clueless and shocked, unclear of exactly what was happening. I had to get out of this situation as fast as I possibly could, I couldn't have people travelling with me unless I wanted someone else's arm broken.

We reached the center and burst through the front doors, wheezing slightly from the run. I headed straight to the front counter, reaching into Jeff's bag and handing over six Pokeballs.

"Can you please revive these?" I shoved them into Nurse Joy's hands without hesitation, receiving from her a very sour look as a result. She cleared her face of all emotion almost instantly though and returned to her pleasant façade, nodding politely with a forced smile on her face.

"Would your name happen to be Jo, by any chance?" She asked in a clipped voice. Behind me, Ash and Misty were still wheezing on the couch with Togepi jumping up and down on Misty's lap.

"Uh, yeah, it is."

"Well, an orange-haired boy came in just a short while ago being carried by a Lucario of all things. He said that if a girl named Jo arrived to send her to him right away."

I blushed again when she told me this, I don't know why though.

"So you'll be able to fix his arm? I was afraid that because this is only a Pokemon center, you wouldn't be able to help us."

"This may be just a Pokemon center but I am still a certified nurse." She replied haughtily. "Follow me to his room please."

I followed her behind the counter through some plain white double doors into a small corridor with four doors on each side and an exit at the end. Mimicking her steps, I entered through the second door on the right, my eyes immediately falling upon Jeff lying on two Pokemon stretchers shoved together. I heard the door open and close once more and turned to see Nurse Joy leaving.

"Hey." I whispered, approaching his side cautiously.

"Hey," he replied, smiling gently, "did you give my Pokemon to Nurse Joy?"

I nodded. Just then, there was a clatter out in the hall and yelling voices. I immediately feared for the worst. Jeff tried to sit up but I shoved him back down, reaching into my pocket for another Pokeball.

But then the doors burst open and Padfoot was by my side again, shoving his muzzle into my cheek. I smiled wide and held him close to me, the familiar smell of his fur calming me.

Nurse Joy stormed through the door, looking distinctly ruffled, with a crooked frown on her face.

"I was attempting to give your Lucario some much needed Pokemon food," she glared at me as if accusing me of not properly caring for my Pokemon, "when he heard the sound of your voice and almost knocked me over in his hurry to get to you."

"I'm very sorry Nurse Joy, it won't happen again." I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, politely forcing her to leave the room.

"You really don't like Nurse Joy, do you?"

"I have my reasons." I glanced away from him then, not wanting to reveal anything.

"What's your name short for?"

"Uh, Jovie." I muttered, again surprised by his random questions.

I noticed then that his arm had been put into actual bandages. I felt a small amount of relief at the sight of Nurse Joy's efficiency. I bit my lip before taking a bold step and sitting down on the edge of his bed, acting as if it were the most harmless thing in the world.

"So, what are you going to do now? Return home, I suppose."

"No way, I haven't even gotten my Kanto starter yet, I'm not going anywhere."

"But who are you going to travel with? Surely you don't intend to go it alone, not after what happened?" I was trying to plant a subtle hint in his mind but he already knew what I was up to.

"Why do you so desperately want me to travel with you? You're certainly being over-protective of me and we have hardly even met."

"I am not being protective of you and I never said anything about wanting you to travel with me, this is simply you making wild assumptions."

"Really? You were practically cradling me back under that rock ledge, you sprinted here to take care of my Pokémon, you're sitting on the edge of my bed protecting me now, and you just implied that you wanted me to travel with you."

"I was not _cradling_ you," I insisted, standing up brusquely and backing away from him, "and you are accusing me of sprinting here to get to you when in actuality it was in fear for your wounded Pokémon that brought me here so quickly, and I believe it was you who requested Nurse Joy to send me to you when I arrived. And if you haven't already noticed, there is nowhere else to sit in this room so stop flattering yourself. I don't have time for scrawny boys that get bullied by inbred thugs." I was glaring at him now, my fists clenched, with Padfoot looming next to me, baring his teeth at Jeff.

He looked angry. He tried to hide it, but he was pissed, he thought I was a freak. How could I be so reckless, exposing myself like that? I swore to never allow that ugly side of my personality to surface and this poor broken-down boy was enough to unleash it. I bit my lip and turned away from him.

"I'm sorry." I whispered into the corner, not wanting to look at him, before rushing through the door, ignoring the sound of him calling my name.

Padfoot trotted along beside me, looking incredibly satisfied, before he noticed the tears coming down my face. He blocked my path immediately, forcing me to stop running from my fears. He whimpered softly and pawed at my hand gently. I flung myself into his fuzzy chest, sobbing softly. His powerful arms held me so gently and reassuringly that I felt instantly safe. Like I was home again.

"That's right, buddy, just you and me from now on. No one else, I promise. It's best this way."

"Hey, where are you going?" I turned to see Nurse Joy entering Jeff's room with a tray of Pokeballs in her hands.

"Um, I was planning on meeting someone in Pewter, so I guess I'd better be going now. Thanks for all your help." I hated what a fabulous liar I was.

She nodded in reply, her bright pink hair swaying slightly. The door to Jeff's room swung open and shut and I continued walking, hating every particle in my body for ever allowing myself to come close to Jeff.

Then I heard Nurse Joy yelling and the sound of several Pokeballs breaking open. I resisted turning around, forcing myself to remain uninterested but Padfoot had started barking like a maniac. While I tried to calm him, Ash and Misty burst through the swinging doors behind Nurse Joy's counter, alerted to the commotion. I tried to explain what was going on but the only sound that came from my lips was a scream when I felt something curl around my ankle and yank me backwards, dragging me quickly along the tiled floor. Padfoot chased me down the hall, grabbing my hand and attempted to pull me loose but the grip on my foot was too strong. Long black shadows began to seep over every surface and extinguish all lights. I could hear Nurse Joy screaming like a banshee and Padfoot growling ferociously as he held onto my hand with all his strength. But the shadows had begun to wrap around Padfoot's ankles and wrists, forcing his arms behind his back and making him fall to his knees. He howled desperately as I was dragged away from him, straight into Jeff's room where I saw him standing there with a Gengar, Tangrowth, and Magmortar by his side. Nurse Joy lay propped up in a corner, apparently having passed out.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?" I screamed at him but he ignored me.

"Gengar, Poison Gas." I heard him say.

I watched the Gengar, who was the one with the blackened shadows radiating from him, lift his hands and allow thick streams of purple gas to pour from his palms, smiling wickedly the whole time.

Before my brain submitted to the toxic fumes, I heard a loud crash and saw a flash of scorching red fire.

When I woke up, I was laying in the center of a grassy meadow with a light gray hoody draped over my shoulders. There was a crooked tent, a dark blue backpack (Jeff's), and an Electivire standing guard, making slow, lumbering circles around the camp. I stood slowly while reaching into my pocket, shocked to find that all my Pokeballs were gone. As I silently crept away from the Electivire, hopefully making it to the forest edge where I could make a run for it, I heard a voice.

"Morning." It was Jeff, accompanied by his Gengar. I lunged for him, my hands level with his throat but his Gengar stood protectively in front of him, smiling at me in a threatening way.

"Where's Padfoot?" I whispered.

"Probably with Ash and Misty, looking for you."

"And my other Pokemon?"

"Right here." He said, reaching into the pocket of his blue jeans and pulling out a handful of a Pokeballs.

"Give them to me, now!" I practically growled at him.

"You're not getting them back until I am absolutely sure that you won't kill me. Now let me explain."

First, he returned both Gengar and Electivire to their Pokeballs to prove that I was not being held hostage. Big mistake.

I immediately lunged at his throat, knocking him down to the ground and straddling him, my fingers constricting his esophagus. Tears streaked down his face in pain, making me realize that my knee was pressing down on his broken arm. I ignored it entirely.

"Well, this sure was a lot of fun Jeff, but this is where our friendship ends. You thought I was some kind of air-headed slut, huh? Thought I wanted to hold your hand and bat my eyelashes at you and live happily ever after? I don't think so. You chose the wrong girl to mess with, Jefferson, and I hate to have to tell you this, but you are now officially screwed." I smiled sweetly before slugging him in the mouth, making his lip tear open and bleed profusely. I had forgotten how much fun it was to act like a bad ass but, somewhere deep inside me, it still felt long. I pushed away my feelings of hesitation, reminding myself of Jeff's psychotic kidnapping of me. Still holding him firmly to the ground, I made a long, low whistle, smiling at the thought of Padfoot's ears perking up at the sound.

I released my grip on his neck, allowing him to gasp desperately for air. I reached into his pockets and retrieved all of my Pokeballs before climbing off him. Before he could even consider attempting to stand, I released my Luxray from its Pokeball.

"Keep him down, Crooks." I said, as I watched Crooks place a massive paw on his chest, forcing him to the ground.

Padfoot burst through the trees then, lunging for me and crushing me in a massive hug. I tried to hug him back but at the sight of Jeff, Padfoot growled viciously and stepped in front of me, a bright blue Aura Sphere already forming between his paws.

"Padfoot, stop." I said, placing a gentle hand on his wrist. He followed my command, but reluctantly.

"Come on out, Kitten." From my last Pokeball appeared my Blissey, twirling happily in the meadow's alluring atmosphere.

"Kitten, do you think you could fix Jeff's arm for me?" I pointed over in Jeff's direction. I owed him that much, there was no denying it. She smiled jubilantly in reply and headed back towards Jeff. While she went to work healing him, with Crooks still forcing him down, I started to pick my way through Jeff's things. The gray hoody that had been on my shoulders earlier I pulled on over my head, loving its baggy form and soft fleece interior.

"You don't mind if I keep this jacket, do you Jeff?" I smiled to myself, not expecting a reply.

"Don't you at least want to know what happened back at the Pokemon Center?"

"Not particularly." I yelled back to him, pawing through his backpack and tossing a packet of Pokemon food over to Padfoot.

He launched into the story anyways.

"When you stormed out of my room, I tried to call you back but you ignored me. I had to do something to stop you or I knew I would probably never see you again." He paused to wipe away the trail of blood trickling from his lip.

"Conveniently, Nurse Joy had just healed my Pokemon so I took the liberty of using them to my advantage. My Tangrowth was responsible for capturing you, Gengar took care of Padfoot, and Magmortar was there to tie up any loose ends."

"So you managed to plan an entire kidnapping scheme in five seconds. Lovely."

He ignored my comment. "That was when the dude with the black hair and that ginger girl got involved. The dude's Charizard literally broke down the wall and my Magmortar was forced to fight fire with fire to hold them off long enough for Gengar to sedate everyone with his Poison Gas. When we left the Pokemon Center, the place was going up in flames." My mouth dropped open in shock and fear. He guessed what I was thinking and held up his hands defensively. "We didn't leave them in there, of course! We moved them out of the building, the boy and the girl and all their Pokemon. And Padfoot, of course."

"You didn't leave Nurse Joy in there, did you?"

"Of course not. We tossed her in some bushes a safe distance away." I smiled at the mental image that formed in my mind when he said this.

"Was it really necessary to demolish an entire building just to get my attention?"

"Yes." His voice had taken on a very serious tone. "We've only known each other for hardly a day and already there is something about you that I find almost obsessively interesting. You're different, mysterious, dangerous, and incredibly fucked up. There is something inside you that you are fighting and you are trying to hide it from the world. I want to find out what that is. I want to get to know you. And, to be completely honest, I do need someone to travel with. I would feel a whole lot safer if I had some extra protection out here in these woods."

I simply stared at him. What a strange kind of person he was. Most guys never share their true thoughts with you; they usually hide everything from everyone, but not him. In a single breath he confessed everything he thought about me and everything he had already managed to find out about me just by reading my body language and reactions. I was shocked. Was I really that interesting? Most people just label me as psychotic and move on. He committed multiple felonies just to get the chance to talk to me once more. And he wants to travel with me; he wants me to protect him.

"You have major curiosity issues, don't you?"

"Yes I do."

"And you know that Officer Jenny and a whole fleet of police officers are probably looking for you?"

"Yes I do."

Before I could reply, Ash and Misty arrived, right on cue. Ash's Pikachu waved to Padfoot but he only offered a cold shoulder in reply.

"Jo, are you okay?" Ash sounded genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine. Jeff and I just had a little misunderstanding and you two unfortunately got caught up in it all. Everything's cool now. Jeff and I have come to an understanding." Jeff looked relieved by my words.

"Yeah, hi, I'm Jeff." He waved at Ash and Misty, still being held down by Crooks.

"Crooks, it's cool. You can back down." He sprinted nimbly to my side, rubbing against my legs before lying down at my feet, suspicion still dancing in his eyes as he watched Jeff regain his footing.

Kitten chirped happily at the sight of Jeff removing his bandages and gently flexing his arm. His mouth was still bleeding but not as badly as before.

"Hey, did Blissey fix Jeff's arm?" Misty asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, Kitten is very good at healing Pokémon and humans alike. I might even go as far as saying she's more talented than Nurse Joy."

Kitten continued to twirl around the meadow, pure happiness radiating from her face.

"About what happened back at the Pokemon Center, I'm really sorry if I caused your Pokemon any damage. Or yourselves. I really didn't mean for it to play out like that." Jeff held up his hands in a display of innocence.

"It's alright. I still don't really understand what happened though. Jo said you were mugged? And why is your lip bleeding?" Ash questioned him and Misty nodded in agreement with his questions.

"Well, I was passing through the Viridian Forest on my way down to Pallet Town to see Professor Oak. Then, I hear this rustling sound to my left and one girl and one guy come storming out of the trees, running at me like a couple of maniacs. The guy smashes me in the arm with a baseball while the girl steals my backpack. While the girl is rifling through my things, the guy continues to punch me in the ribs repeatedly. When he thinks he's done enough damage, he heads over to speak with the girl, allowing me a few seconds to release my Pokémon. Unfortunately, they had some really powerful Pokemon fighting for them. The girl had a Raichu and an Arcanine. The dude had a Gyarados and a Flygon. My Pokemon fought desperately and barely came out of the battle victorious. They managed to chase them off and, surprisingly, they left my backpack behind, but my poor team was severely damaged. I tried to make it to a Pokémon Center but passed out before I could make it. And that's when this angel brought me back from the Afterlife." He smiled and winked at me. In my mind, I knew I should have glared or rolled my eyes or even blushed by all I did was stand there like an idiot, left completely dumbstruck by his charming tactics.

"When Jo reached the Pokemon Center, we had a little argument and I had to use my Pokemon to detain her." Misty looked shocked, as if her own personal female rights had been violated. "And that's how we got here."

"Wow, that's kinda crazy, and completely unorthodox." Ash smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"I know it all happened really fast but, hey, my arm is fixed again and all our Pokemon and healthy and no one is severely injured so I think it turned out okay. It is unfortunate that was had to meet like this though." Ash and Misty nodded.

There was an awkward silence where we all stood there, not knowing what to do next.

I broke the tension. "Um, so, are we going to travel together, as a group of four? At least until we make it out of this forest? I mean, we are all fellow trainers and in fear of another horrific gang attack similar to Jeff's, it only makes sense for us to band together in numbers." This sounded like something a normal human would say, not something a wanted person might suggest, certainly not. I glanced over at Padfoot for reassurance. He nodded slightly. I was still safe.


End file.
